Friday Notebook: Ray talks about his future, TA return pushed back

Posted by Brian Robb on Nov 27, 2009 44434 commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F2009%2F11%2F27%2Ffriday-notebook-ray-talks-about-his-future-ta-return-pushed-back%2F+Friday+Notebook%3A+Ray+talks+about+his+future%2C+TA+return+pushed+back2009-11-27+12%3A09%3A37Brian+Robbhttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F%3Fp%3D4443

A look around the web for some C’s news this Black Friday to distract you from long lines in whatever store line you may be waiting in this morning.

First we have Gary Washburn in the Globe discussing AI’s retirement with 34 year old Ray Allen, which led to the sharpshooter to speculate about his own NBA future. A few interesting tidbits from the piece:

Ray talking about how much longer he could see himself playing:

“I try not to think about it,’’ Allen said when asked how much longer he will play. “You figure I am at 14 now, 19, 20 is a very long, extensive career. So I am definitely inside that amount of time, so I try not to even worry about it. If I keep myself in shape, I never have to worry about getting out.

“My kids, they are growing up, I would like for them to see what I am doing, and appreciate it and enjoy it. Try to enjoy it as long as I can.’’

The difference between Ray Allen and Allen Iverson? Ray talking about accepting a reduced role as he ages more:

“Whatever I need to do, I’ll do,’’ said Allen, who has started 954 games. “I think the biggest thing for us as veterans as we get toward the end of our career is you want to play for a team that’s contending for a championship. Sometimes if you go to a team contending for a championship, you are going to have to come off the bench.’’

Ray has had his struggles shooting from the outside thus far this year, but talk like this makes me want the Celtics to keep Allen around at a discount for at least the next year or two. He speaks like the consummate team player and given the lack of payroll flexibility and viable inexpensive offensive alternatives on the open market next year.

Quick update from Washburn as well on the status of guard Tony Allen’s return from ankle problems:

Coach Doc Rivers flirted with putting Allen on the active roster Wednesday, but Allen is likely to make his season debut during the four-game road trip beginning Sunday in Miami.

“I don’t feel there’s [a] need to rush it and [get] hurt and I would have to sit out another four games,’’ he said. “I don’t want to be off and on. I want to finish the whole season not worried.’’

A look at the C’s lack of cohesiveness, after the jump

Finally a nice piece from Steve Bulpett in the Herald highlighting the problems the team seems to be facing despite its nearly league best 11-4 record:

The Celts are playing utterly uninspired basketball. If they don’t like hearing that, they should do something about it.

Rivers keeps saying it’s a make-miss league and that his guys simply have been missing too many open shots. But a good poker player doesn’t always need the best hand to win.

Watching the way the Celtics are playing now brings to mind their forefathers from the 1980s. Unfortunately, we’re talking about the very late ’80s.

The teams from that decade needed more than just their significant talent to win. They were often tougher and willing to work harder than their opponents.

But a strange thing happened as the decade got late. Though they still clearly were one of the NBA’s elite teams, they started acting like it was their birthright. And that was a problem.

Though there’s no question injuries played a huge role in their drop-off, it also was evident those Celts often played as if, hey, it was the regular season and they’d answer the bell when the real games started. They weren’t as cohesive, and the effects manifested in some interesting ways.

Opponents lost the fear factor.

Rivers said Tuesday, “I think at times we think we have a switch that we can just turn on and off. And I think we’re learning right now that we don’t have that switch.”